Process for converting petroleum oil



Sept. 15, 1931. c. EGLOFF PROCESS FOR CONVERTiNG PETROLEUM OIL Original Filed May 11, 1922 MQRQaMuNE Q Patented Sept. 15, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT oFr-lcs GUSTAV EGLOFF, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO UNIVERSAL OIL PRODUCTS COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF SOUTH DAKOTA PROCESS FOR CONVERTING PETROLEUM OIL Gontinuation of application Serial No. 559,981, filed May 11, 1922. This application filed June 2, 1927.

Serial No.

This application is a continuation of my copendingapplicatiou Serial No. 559,981 filed May 11, 1922.

, This invention relates to improvements in a process for converting petroleum oil and -refers more particularly to the conversion of relatively heavy hydrocarbon oils into lighter oils such as gasoline and the like. The process is preferably operated under pressure of the generated vapors which-may be maintained at a uniform pressure throughout the system or difierential pressures in the different portions or stages of the process.

The single figure is a diagrammatic side elevational view of the apparatus. Referring to the drawing, 1 is a primary heating coil mounted in a furnace 2 which is preferably heated by means of gas burners 3. 4 is a secondary heating coil mounted in the furnace 5 which is heated by gas burners-6. The coils are connected to a vaporizing chamber 7 which through lines 8 and 9 controlled by valves 10 and 11 respectively, communicates with the chambers 12 and 13. Chamber 12 is connected to a dephlegmator 14 by means of a pipe 15, a vapor line 16 connecting the top of the dephlegmator with water condenser 17 which in turn is connected to receiver 18 by means of pipe 19. i

I Referring to the operation, the oil to be treated is introduced from any convenient source and is charged by means of the pump 20 through the line 21 to the heating coils 1 where it is raised to a conversion temperature. The oil from the heating coil passes through the transfer line 22 controlled by valve 23 and is permitted to va orize in the chamber 7. The vapors pass 0 through the line 8 to the vapor receiving chamber 12. In

this chamber a portion of the vapors are separated out in the form of reflux condensate while the uncondensed portion passes off to the dephlegmator 14 to be further refluxed. The condensate from the dephlegmator also collects in the chamber 12 and flows out through draw-off line 24 controlled by valve 25, or may be directed through the line 26 regulated by valve 27 out of the system.

The vapors passing over from the top of the dephlegmator are subjected to a con- (lensing action and are collected as distillate in the receiver 18 which is equipped with pressure relief valve 28, a liquid draw-offvalve 29, pressure gauge 30, and liquid. level gauge 31. The pressure on the system may be regulated by the valve 28, on the receiver, and other valves positioned in different stages of the process.

The condensate from the chamber 12 which is drawn'oif through the line 24, is returned to secondary heating coil 4 with vapors evolved from the residual substance drawn ofi from the vaporizing chamber 7 through the line 9. This unvaporized portion of the oil drawn ofi from vaporizing chamber 7 5 through the line 9 is passed to the residue receiving chamber 13 wherein due to the reduction of pressure, further vaporization takes place. The volatile hydrocarbon released in the chamber 13 passes out-through the line 32 controlled by valve 33 and is combined with the reflux condensate from the chamber 12 in the line 24.

These residuum vapors together with the reflux condensate are recharged by means of the pump 34 to the heating coil 4 where they are again subjected to cracking conditions, but under the temperature and pressure prevailin therein and passed through line 35 contro led by valve 36 and combined with the heated oil in the transfer line 22 entering the vaporizing chamber and undergoing reaction with the fresh incoming oil. Draw-0E valves 37 and 38 are provided in the liquid draw-off lines and the vapor draw-off line of the re- 5 sidual reacting chamber respectively. Valves 39 and 40 are positioned in the lines 16 and 19 respectively for further control of the pressure in the condensing portion of the apparatus. em

The vaporization taking place in the chambers 12 and 13 is dependent largely upon a decrease in pressure from that in the vaporizing chamber 7.

An illustrative run will serve to disclose in more detail the operation of the process. Charging the tubes 1 with mid-continent gas oil of approximately 32 degrees Baum and heating it to a conversion temperature of from 700 to 900 degrees F., and maintaining a pressure thereon of 800 pounds persquare inch, thence passing the heated oil in a conversion state to the vaporizing chamber 7 where a reduction of pressure of 200 to 400 pounds is rmitted, and passing the volatilized ort1on of the chamber 12 with a further re uction of pressure of from 300 to 350 vpounds and also passing the unvaporized oil from chamber 7 to 13 with a like reduction in pressure in the chamber 13, a high quality distillate relatively low in unsaturants and having a Bau'm gravity of from 50 to 52 degrees is roduced.

n further reheating of the reflux condensate and residuum vapors, a somewhat higher temperature is necessary in the secondary tubes 4 than on the heating coil 1 and also a pressure sufficient to permit the introduction of the heated oil to the transfer line 22 to be introduced with the oil from the heating coil 1 into the chamber 7.

I claim 1. A process for converting petroleum oil consisting in passing charging stock through a cracking coil where said oil is heated to a cracking temperature under superatmospheric pressure, in introducing the oil to a vaporizing chamber where a substantial portion of said oil vaporizes, in passing the vapors to a secondchamber and thence to a dephlegmator, in introducing the liquid residual oil from said vaporizing chamber to an independent residue receiving chamber, in reducing the pressure on the oil in said residue receiving chamber so that a substantial portion of the residue vaporizes, in introducing vapors from said residue receiving chamber together with reflux con densate from said second chamber to an independent secondary heating coil, in maintaining a high pressure in said secondary coil suflicient to force the oil into said vaporizing chamber, and in introducing the products of conversion from said secondary coil to said vaporizing chamber.

2. A process for cracking hydrocarbon oil, consisting in continuously passing charging oil through a heating coil disposed within a heating zone, wherein the oil is raised to a cracking temperature, in introducing the oil from said coil to an enlarged chamber wherein a substantial portion thereof vaporizes, in separately removing the vaporous products and the unvaporized oil from. said enlarged chamber, passing the unvaporized oil removed from said enlarged chamber to a secondary reaction chamber maintained under a lower pressure than said first enlarged chamber, in taking off the light constituents of the unvaporized oil from said secondary reaction chamber in vaporous form, in subjecting such lightconstituents to an inde pendent heat treatment, and in returning the same to the oil introduced to said first enla-rged chamber under suflicient pressure to force the same thereinto. a

3. A process of hydrocarbon oil conversion which consists in subjecting the oil to crackthe pressure thereon to effect flash distillation thereof, withdrawing the flash distilled vapors, combining them with said reflux condensate, and subjecting'the mixture to gasoline-producing crackin conditions more severe than those of the flrst mentioned cracking reaction, and condensing the gasoline vapors thus produced as a product ofthe process.

4. A process of hydrocarbon oil conversion which consists in subjecting theoil to cracking conditions of temperature and pressure, separating the evolved vapors from residual oil, withdrawing the residual oil and reducing the pressure thereon to effect flash distillation-of the residual oil, withdrawing the flash distilled vapors and subjecting them to cracking conditions more severe than those of the first mentioned cracking reaction, and returning the products of the more severe cracking reaction to the products discharged from the first cracking reaction.

5. A process of hydrocarbon oil conversion which consists in subjecting the oil to cracking conditions of temperature and pressure,

cracking reaction to the products discharged from the first cracking reaction.

6. A hydrocarbon oil cracking process which comprises heating the oil to cracking temperature under superatmospheric pressure while passing through an initial heating zone, discharging the heated oil into a reaction zone, wherein further conversion of the oil occurs, removing unvaporized oil from said-reaction zone and passing the same to a zone of pressure reduction whereby vaporization of lighter fractions of said unvaporized oil is effected by lowering the pressure thereon in said zone of pressure reduction, removing said lighter fractions from said zone of pressure reduction, passing said lighter fractions through a second heating zone independent of said initial heating zone and subj ecting the same therein to a gasoline-producing cracking operation at a temperature in I as a product 0 excess of the temperature to which the oil is heated in said initial heating zone, and condensing the gasoline vapors thus produced as a product of the process. 1f

7. A hydrocarbon oil cracking process which comprises heating the oil to. cracking temperature under superatmospheric pressure while passing through an i n1t1al heating zone, discharging the heated 011 into a reac tion zone wherein further conversion of the oil occurs, removing unvaporized oil from said reaction zone and passing the same to a zone of pressure reduction whereby vaporization of lighter fractions of said unvaporized oil is effected, by lowering of the pressure thereon in said zone of pressure reduction, removing evolved vapors from said. reaction zone and subjecting the same to dephlegmation thereby forming reflux condensate, and subjecting said reflux condensate and said lighter fractions independently of the oil passing through said initial heating zone to gasoline-producing cracking operation at a temperature in excess of that to which the oil is heated in said initial heating zone, and condensing the fgasoline vapors thus produced the process.

8. A hydrocarbon oil cracking process which comprises heating the oil to cracking temperature under superatmospheric pressure while passing through an initial heating zone, discharging the heated oil into a reactionzone maintained under lower superatmospheric pressure than said heating zone,

separately removing vapors and unvaporized oil from said reaction zone, reducing the pressure on said unvaporized oil thereby forming additional vapors by flash distillation, passing said additional vapors through a second heating zone independent of said initial heating zone and sub ecting the same therein to a gasoline-producing vapor phase cracking operation at a temperature in excess of that maintained in said initial heating zone, and condensing the gasoline vapors thus produced as a product of the process.

9. A hydrocarbon oil cracking process which comprises heating the oil to cracking temperature under superatmospheric pressure while passing through an initial heating zone, discharging the heated oil into a reaction zone maintained under lower superatmospheric pressure than said heating zone, separately removing vapors and unvaporized oil from said reaction zone, dephlegmating said vapors thereby forming reflux condensate, reducing the pressure on said unvaporized oil thereby forming additional vapors by flash distillation, passing said reflux condensate'and additional vapors through a second heating zone independent of said initial heating zone and subjecting the same therein to gasoline-producing cracking operation at a temperature in excess of that maintained in said initial heating zone, and

condensing the gasoline vapors thus produced as a product of the rocess.

10. A hydrocarbon oi cracking process which comprises heating the oil to cracking temperature under super-atmospheric pressure in an initial heating zone, separatin the heated oil into vapors and unvaporize oil,

lowering the pressure on the unvaporized oil thereby eflecting flash distillation thereof,

' passing resultant flash distilled hydrocarbons through a second heating zone in e endent of said initial heating zone and sub ecting the same therein'to a gasoline-producing cracking operation at a temperature in excess of the temperature to which the oil is heated in said initial heating zone, and subjecting the heated vapors from said second heatin zone and vapors evolved by the heating 0% the oil in said initial heatingzone to common condensation.

11. A hydrocarbon oil cracking process which comprises heating the oil to cracking temperature under superatmospheric pressure in an initial heating zone, separatin the heated oil into vapors and unvaporize oil, lowering the pressure on the unvaporized oil thereby efi'ecting flash distillation thereof, passing the flash distilled vapors, without previous condensation, throu h a second heating zone independent of sai initial heating zone and subjecting the same therein to a gasoline-producing vapor phase cracking operation at a temperature in excess of that to which the oil is heated in said initial heating zone,.dephlegmating the first mentioned vapors and the heatedvapors from said second heating zone to condense heavier fractions thereof as reflux condensate, and finally condensing the dephlegmated vapors.

12. A hydrocarbon oil cracking process which comprises heating the oil to cracking temperature under superatmospheric pressure in. an initial heating zone, separating the heated oil into vapors and unvaporized oil, lowering the pressure on the unvaporized oil thereby effecting flash distillation thereof, passing the flash distilled vapors, without previous condensation, through a second heat mg zone independent of said initialheating zone and sub ecting the same therein to a gasoline-producing cracking operation at a temperature in excess of that to which the oil is heated in said initial heating zone, dephlegmating the first mentioned vapors and the heated vapors from said second heating zone to condense heavier fractions thereof as reflux condensate, introducing resultant reflux condensate to said second heating zone for further treatment therein in admixture with said flash distilled vapors, and finally con densing the dephlegmated vapors.

13. A hydrocarbon oil cracking process which comprises heating the oil to cracking temperature under superatmospheric pressure in an initial heating zone, separating thereof as reflux condensate, returning re sultant reflux condensate to the process for further subjection to cracking temperature,

and finally condensing the dephlegmated vapors as a product of the process.

14. A process for cracking hydrocarbon oil, which comprises subjecting the oil to cracking conditions of temperature and pressure and causing vaporization of part of the oil while under such pressure withdrawing the residuum and subjecting it to flash distillation under reduced pressure, and taking the vapors from such flash distillation and subjecting them to a gasoline-producing vapor phase cracking operation, and condens-v ing the resultant gasoline Vapors as a product of the process.

15. A process for converting high boiling point to low boiling point products comprising subjecting the high boiling point 011 to cracking conditions of temperature and pressure in a heating zone, passing the heated oil to a zone of pressure distillation, removing vapors and unvaporized products from the zone of pressure distillation, lowering the PI'BSEIII'Q on the removed unvaporized products, to effect substantial vaporization thereof by the contained heat of the oil and subjecting the vapors released from the unvaporized oil under such reduced pressure to further cracking in a gasoline-producing vapor phase cracking operation, and condensing the resultant gasoline vapors as a product of the process.

16. A process for converting high boiling point to low boiling point productscomprising subjecting the high boiling point 011 to pressure distillation under cracking conditions of temperature and pressure, removing unvaporized liquid oil from the pressure distillation, substantially lowering the pressure on the removed liquid oil to effect vaporization of portions thereof by the contained heat of the removed'oil and subjecting the fractions so vaporized to vapor phase cracking,

removing the vaporous products of such vapor phase cracking, dephlegmating said products to condense heavier fractions thereof, and condensing the dephlegmated vapors. 17 In a hydrocarbon oil cracking process,

the improvement which comprises passing the oil through a heating coil and heatin the same therein under pressure to a craciing temperature, discharging the heated oil into an enlarged'reaction zone maintained under superatmosphericpressure wherein further conversion of the oil occurs, removing unvaporized oil from said zone under superatmospheric gessure and reducing the pressure thereon su ciently to effect substantial vaporization thereof, subjecting the resultant vapors to a gasoline-producing vapor phase cracking operation and condensing as a product of the process the gasoline vapors formed by the vapor phase cracking.

18. A hydrocarbon oil cracking process which comprises subjecting the oil to a cracking operation by heating the same to cracking temperature under superatmospheric ressure, withdrawing vapors from the crmfirin operation, separately removing unvaporized oil from said cracking operation under superatmospheric pressure and lowering the pressure thereon sufliciently to vaporize a substantial portion thereof by flash.distillation, subjecting resultant flash distilled vapors to vapor p ase cracking of a gasoline-producing character without completely gaslfying the vapors, and condensing the gasoline vapors thus produced.

19. A hydrocarbon oil cracking process which comprises heating the oil in a restricted stream to cracking temperature under superatmospheric pressure in a heating zone, discharging the heated oil into a vapor separating zone maintained under superatmospheric pressure and separating the same therein into vapors and unvaporized oil,

-withdrawing such unvaporized oil from the separating zone under superatmospheric pressure and lowering the lpressure thereon sufficiently to vaporize a su stantial portion thereof by its sensible heat, subjecting vapors evolved by the pressure reduction to a gasoline-producing vapor phase cracking operation, and condensing the gasoline vapors produced thereby.

GUSTAV EGLOFF. 

